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LECG Legacy Era Campaigns
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Legacy Era Campaign Guide At first blush, campaigns set in The Legacy Era might seem very similar to those set during The Dark Times and The Rebellion Era. The monolithic Empire rules the galaxy, there are no Jedi, and the criminal fringe has risen to prominence. However, in many respects The Legacy Era is wholly unique, with a flavor and feel all its own. While The Legacy Era shares many common elements with other popular time periods, this section helps present some of the unique elements that can be emphasized to give a Legacy Era Campaign its own feel. One key aspect of Legacy Era Campaign is the concept of Legacies, which provide ample fodder for character development. In a Legacy Era Campaign, the actions of those in the past- even the distant past- have far-reaching repercussions and color the events of the present. Characters with Legacies often bear heavy responsibilities to live up to expectations, though some may reject their Legacies to hide or throw off the sins of their progenitors. Moreover, The Legacy Era is a time when everything- even a relic from a bygone age- has its place. Characters and archetypes from any time period fit in The Legacy Era, as the era combines such popular elements as The Sith, The Jedi, The Galactic Empire, and various rebellious organizations bent on opposing tyranny (Namely, The Galactic Alliance). Technology from yesteryear can appear as a part of a Legacy Era Campaign in a number of ways, including as antiqued ships and equipment or even as "Retro" designs intended to recall the popularity in the past. This inclusivity gives Gamemasters and players alike the ability to Species, character traits, Equipment, and Vehicles from any era without worrying about things feeling out of place. Gamemasters running a Legacy Era Campaign have the chance to mine all of their source material, including campaign guides for other eras, enemies, allies, and technology to use in their campaigns without having to worry about whether or not it fits. In The Legacy Era, it almost surely will. Not everything about The Legacy Era is positive, however. The time period surrounding The Sith-Imperial War and its aftermath is a dark time indeed, with a shadow of evil cloaking everything. As much as any other time, The Dark Side of The Force holds sway in The Legacy Era, and heroes going on adventures during this time are likely to encounter that darkness at every turn. A Legacy Era Campaign should emphasize the fact that the galaxy has become a bleak and oppressive place, and a general sense of doom and dread pervades every world, from Coruscant to Tatooine. Under the rule of The Sith and The Galactic Empire, the galaxy has become a less enlightened place, and evil rears its head even on the most peaceful planets. In any given adventure, the heroes may encounter Sith Lords or their vile spies, gangsters and crime lords whose power grows by the day, and bounty hunters who turn Jedi over to the Empire with little care for the fact that every Jedi death darkens the galaxy that much more. More than just rife with The Dark Side, the galaxy has become a place where violence is law. Life in The Legacy Era seems to prove true the axiom that power lies in the hands of the person holding the blaster, and the Empire seems to exemplify this philosophy. Wherever the Empire holds sway, martial law keeps the galaxy's inhabitants in perpetual fear of being imprisoned or executed. On the fringes of the galaxy, pirates and gangsters take what they want by force, with no fear of reprisal. The only organization strong enough to stop these criminals from slaughtering their way to power, the Empire, is just as corrupt- and often has dealing with those same vicious criminals. Adventures in a Legacy Era Campaign may involve intrigue and deceit, but violence taints everything in a galaxy under the menacing eyes of The Sith. Lastly, The Legacy Era is a time period that can challenge assumptions. Things are never exactly what they seem, and many of the players' assumptions might be turned on their head. The Yuuzhan Vong, once the extragalactic invaders who murdered millions, now serve The Jedi and can be powerful allies. A large faction of the Empire fights against the tyranny of The Sith, accompanied by The Imperial Knights who, while appearing to be Jedi, serve a different goal altogether. The cold, calculating Moff Nyna Calixte while an active Imperial agent, while also the mother of Cade Skywalker, helping her son in defiance of the Empire she serves. Gamemasters crafting adventures in The Legacy Era should not be afraid to take basic assumptions and twist them, or even toss them aside entirely, as no stereotype or expected behavior can be guaranteed. Introducing The Legacy Era In many ways, The Legacy Era is an amalgamation of the best parts of other Eras of Play. As such, introducing your players to The Legacy Era can be relatively easy. Your players will likely be familiar with the Empire from the classic Star Wars film trilogy, and using that as a basis, you can introduce key points of The Legacy Era before the campaign begins. The following items are among the key elements of The Legacy Era that all players should know before starting the campaign: * The Legacy Era begins some 130 years after the Battle of Yavin. * The Galactic Empire rules the galaxy, imposing the same conditions that the Empire did under Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. * The Galactic Empire is, in turn, ruled over by The Sith. Sith Lords can be found throughout the galaxy and are feared everywhere they go. * The current Emperor is Darth Krayt, a tyrannical man garbed in massive armor. * The deposed Emperor, Roan Fel, leads an Empire-in-exile (The Fel Empire), opposing the Sith-ruled Empire with many of the same resources and troops. * The Jedi have been hunted nearly to extinction, and a bounty on the heads of The Jedi keeps them on the run and hiding. With those core aspects of the setting in mind, the players should be prepared to start a campaign in The Legacy Era and create characters that fit right in. Of course, many players will want to know more, but the level of detail you provide to them as the Gamemaster can vary based on the amount of mystery you want to surround the campaign. Advancing Existing Heroes See also: The Vector Storyline The Legacy Era is rich with great stories, interesting characters, and adventure possibilities. As tempting as The Legacy Era might sound, your gaming group might already be in the middle of another campaign set during an earlier era. A Gamemaster eager to run a Legacy Era Campaign has two ways to deal with this quandary: Allow players to create new characters using options available in any era, or allow players to bring the characters they are currently playing into the new campaign. It is not necessarily for players to abandon their beloved characters once the Gamemaster decides to advance the timeline. Heroes From All Eras A Gamemaster can run a new campaign that allows players to choose character options or backgrounds from any era. Whether a player wants to player a Mandalorian Neo-Crusader, a Jedi General from the Clone Wars, or a Rebel spy, you can still set your campaign during The Legacy Era. The solution is to allow the player in question to create the character he or she wants, then bring that character forward in time to The Legacy Era. This also works for players who are invested in heroes they are already player but also want to have adventures in The Legacy Era. Heroes From The Past One of the most iconic moments in the Star Wars saga happens in The Empire Strikes Back when Han Solo is frozen in carbonite. Carbon freezing, though presented as dangerous in the flims, has been used several times to place a character in hibernation, effectively halting their aging process. Of course, the side effects of such a long long period of inactivity (Known as "Hibernation Sickness") can sometimes be debilitating for a short period of time; however, carbon freezing is an effective way to bring a character into The Legacy Era. All the Gamemaster needs to do is decide how the character came to be frozen in carbonite, what happened to the carbonite block to leave it undisturbed for years, and how the heroes in The Legacy Era come across it and unfreeze their new companion. Another option is to have a hero preserved in an oubliette. An oubliette is an ancient Sith device that resembles a large, elaborate sarcophagus. Any creature inside the oubliette when it is sealed is effectively put into stasis. Very few of these devices exist; despite their rarity, they serve as a great (And safe) way to bring heroes forward from the past into The Legacy Era. They also present an excellent opportunity for Gamemasters to introduce other Sith Artifacts into the game, perhaps hidden in secret compartments within the oubliette. The discovery of an oubliette is unlikely to remain a quiet event in The Legacy Era, with hundreds of Sith Lords present in the galaxy. A somewhat more mystical method of bringing heroes forward in time is to have them spend the intervening years on the planet Iego. For reasons unknown, living beings that visit Iego cease to Age or suffer from ailments or Diseases. Something about the planet halts the ravages of nature and time. That is not to say that nothing on Iego can die- that is far from the truth. However, heroes can land on Iego and spend decades, even centuries, on the idyllic world without growing a day older. Upon leaving Iego, the heroes find themselves embroiled in Legacy era plots without having aged a day since they first arrived there. Droid Heroes, on the other hand, require almost no effort to bring forward into The Legacy Era. Droids can effectively "Live" forever provided they are not damaged beyond repair. Brining a Droid Hero forward in time requires some explanation for what the Droid has been doing in the intervening years. Perhaps the Droid has been languishing, deactivated, in a junk dealer's shop on an Outer Rim world, or perhaps it has spent the intervening years in the service of a noble family on a peaceful world where adventure has not come calling for some time. The only decision that the player and the Gamemaster need to make together is whether or not the Droid has received a Memory Wipe since its last adventure- a decision that determines just how much knowledge of the past the Droid can impart to the rest of the party. Using Heroes From Campaigns Past The Legacy Era is all about how the past influences the present, and heroes from previous campaigns can return- albeit briefly as characters under the Gamemaster's control- to guide the actions of the heroes in the current campaign. When using characters from past campaigns in Legacy era storylines, a Gamemaster must be careful to keep their actions consistent with how they acted while under player control; the player of a grim, tough-as-nails soldier from a previous campaign isn't likely to appreciate stories about his former character fleeing a battle in fear. One good way to use heroes from the past is to have them appear in recordings. With this method, the Gamemaster introduces recorded messages- be they holographic, video, or audio- that feature heroes from older campaigns, using them as plot hooks or clues to some mystery in an adventure. This plot device effectively limits player interaction with their former characters and requires minimal preparation on the Gamemaster's part. A recording usually offers an incomplete picture, especially if the recording has been damaged or corrupted. A recorded message can be used to advise heroes in a time of need, point them toward their next adventure, or even mislead them. A damaged recording, once repaired, can even point to some reward, such as the hiding place of a heavily modified tramp freighter- perhaps the same ship the players once acquired in a previous campaign! In the course of an adventure, the heroes might acquire a Holocron containing information left behind by a Jedi hero from a past campaign. Holocrons are extremely rare and valuable, meaning that word of a Holocron's existence alone is likely to attract the hero's attention. However, when the players discover that one of their previous heroes is the gatekeeper of the Holocron, it makes the object valuable not only to the characters but to the players as well. Holocrons with gatekeepers modeled after heroes of the past require a bit more preparation on the part of the Gamemaster, since players can interact with the gatekeeper. Although the gatekeeper's knowledge is limited, the Gamemaster must be ready to answer some of the players' questions, rather than provide a stock, predetermined amount of information. Such a Holocron makes a great reward for Jedi heroes, affording them access to knowledge from past campaigns and opening up some interesting possibilities for Legacy era adventure design that, for once, relies on player knowledge of past events instead of character knowledge. In essence, the Holocron serves as a conduit for what players know of past adventures, funneled through the gatekeeper and imparted to their Legacy era heroes. The Gamemaster also has the option to bring heroes from the past into The Legacy Era as nonplayer characters, using the methods described in Heroes Of The Past, above. This offers many of the same advantages as a Holocron but presents many pitfalls. A Gamemaster must be careful not to allow these past heroes to steal the spotlight from the current heroes. Additionally, the Gamemaster must keep a tight rein on these characters so that their knowledge and abilities aren't abused by the players. It's one thing to have a former hero resurface to provide some much-needed guidance to the current crop of heroes; it's quite another to have the returning character follow the heroes around and do their "Dirty Work" for them, like some over-the-hill sidekick. Having heroes from past campaigns reappear briefly in a Legacy Era Campaign reinforces one of the key themes of the setting. When used sparingly, such occasions demonstrate to players how the deeds of past characters can continue to impact global events, even if the characters themselves are no longer alive to witness them. Additionally, the timely reappearance of a beloved character allows the Gamemaster to bring a sense of closure to the hero, especially one who had lots of potential for interesting stories that never got off the ground, either because the campaign ended too soon or because the player left the game. Heroic Legacies See also: Legacy One of the central themes of The Legacy Era is the concept that a person's life is influenced by the actions and accomplishments of his or her ancestors. Families carry with them reputations that can last for generations, and in the Star Wars universe, a familial Legacy is far more than just a reputation; it is a mark of one's talents and abilities. The Star Wars saga, and The Legacy Era in particular, highlights the concept that a being can inherit some skills, talents, strengths, and weaknesses from his or her parents. Anakin Skywalker is an excellent pilot, and so too is Luke Skywalker. Han Solo is a skilled mechanic and a cunning warrior, and so too is Jaina Solo. Baron Soontir Fel is a dedicated, driven, and disciplined man, and so too is his son, Jagged. In The Legacy Era, these same traits manifest themselves in the lives of characters such as Roan Fel and Cade Skywalker, whose ancestors were heroes of note and who have been handed responsibilities by way of their heritage. In a Legacy Era Campaign, players have the opportunity not only to play characters with interesting family secrets but also characters whose names echo through history. One of the most appealing aspects of playing in a Legacy Era Campaign is that players can be Skywalkers and Solos, and then decide the extent to which their Legacies guide their characters' actions. Heirloom Items Main Article: Heirloom Items Over the course of galactic history, certain items, including Weapons and Armor, have been made famous by the person they belong to. The personal Blaster Rifle of a hero of the Mandalorian Wars or a Lightsaber wielded by a dreaded Sith Lord is more than just another piece of Equipment; it is a piece of history. It has become legendary because it is strongly associated with the power and destiny of its owner and is closely tied to that person's successes; for example, Ulic Qel-Droma's Lightsaber and Exar Kun's Battle Armor were both integral in helping those characters fulfill their Destiny. Heirloom Items are exceedingly rare, and each is unique. Thus, they are highly sought-after by collectors and heroes alike. Everything Has A Place Everything has a place in a Legacy Era Campaign. As the furthest point forward in the Star Wars chronology, The Legacy Era avoids the hangups of earlier eras when it comes to the appearance of certain objects, Vehicles, or Species. For Gamemasters concerned with preserving continuity, this era should prove liberating. Very little from Star Wars lore should be considered off-limits; every piece of technology, every Species, and every event that is a part of Star Wars history has a place in your game. In a Legacy Era Campaign, X-Wings can face off against Predator-Class Starfighters in a battle above Endor without causing continuity issues. This freedom puts the breadth of Star Wars lore at the Gamemaster's disposal. If you are the Gamemaster, exploit this fact. Pick and choose your favorite elements from various eras, and then combine them together in interesting ways to craft your Legacy Era Campaign. Find things you like and use them as a starting point, ignoring the time period from which the elements are drawn. For example, if you have a fondness for The Mandalorians of the distant past but also love the military Vehicles used by The Galactic Republic in the Clone Wars, and you want to have a campaign that involves fighting against both The Sith and The Galactic Empire, then you can (And should!) do so. One could easily combine these elements together to create the basis of a campaign: A group of upstart Mandalorians have resurrected the Neo-Crusader movement and bought a cache of surplus Republic Vehicles, retrofitted to serve their needs. As these Neo-Crusader revivalists move out into the galaxy, they hire themselves into the service of a Sith Lord tasked with breaking up the supply lines of The Fel Empire. When the heroes get involved, they find themselves fighting Mandalorians armed with Republic weapons and Vehicles, caught in the middle of a struggle between Roan Fel loyalists and the Imperial forces under the Sith Lord's control. By the end of your campaign, the heroes have a chance to shatter the Neo-Crusader resurgence, battle the forces of The Galactic Empire, earn the favor of The Fel Empire, and defeat the Sith Lord in whose affairs they have meddled. The example above illustrates the possibilities of setting a campaign in The Legacy Era. Legacy Era Campaigns also give players a wide variety of material to draw upon for the design of their heroes, which can lead to more interesting groups as well as players who are more engaged in their characters. After all, a player that gets to play the kind of character he or she wants to play is likely to be a happy player who will want to see that character survive and evolve. Given the open palette of source material available in The Legacy Era, a Gamemaster is wise not to rule anything out. Find a way to make things work. If you really like something from another era, The Legacy Era is practically designed to make it work. This goes just as much for Gamemasters as it does for players; do not turn away material simply because it wasn't specifically designed for play in The Legacy Era. Be creative, seek out explanations when necessary, but don't be afraid to include those things that excite you about the Star Wars universe. Evolving Designs For the most part, technology advances at a slow pace in the Star Wars universe. At least in game terms, Blaster Pistol technology hasn't changed much since its introduction in the days following The Great Sith War. Occasionally there are significant leaps in technology, such as the advent of the modern Navicomputer, but for the most part technology seems to stay at about the same level. This does not means that Star Wars technology has stagnated; rather, it means that many of the technological improvements over the years occur at a level that imperceptible to us as the audience. Blaster technology has no doubt improved over thousands of years, but by and large blasters work the same as they did long ago. When dealing with the introduction of older technology from bygone eras, Gamemasters have a few options for how to integrate that technology into a Legacy Era Campaign. One method is to simply create new technology based on classic designs; for example, the X-83 TwinTail Starfighter is clearly an evolution of the popular T-65B X-Wing Starfighter and evokes a similar feeling in those who see it. However, its design is firmly rooted in The Legacy Era, and it simultaneously provides both a sense of wonder at its newness and a sense of nostalgia at its similarity. Gamemasters can take a lesson away from this design in creating ships, weapons, and even Droids that draw inspiration from past eras but still retain a sense of the unknown that comes with new technology. For example, say you have a player in your campaign who is very interested in the HWK-290 Space Transport (Such as Kyle Katarn's [[The Moldy Crow|The Moldy Crow]]). As the Gamemaster, you can take advantage of the player's interest by creating a new ship in the same spirit; perhaps this ship is a throwback to that classic design, created by nostalgic engineers from the Corellian Engineering Corporation. The new ship, the HWK-2000, is a sleek, aerodynamic interpretation of the original ship's frame, outfitted with the most cutting edge Space Transport technology. In that player's hands, the transport becomes both a connection to the ship they already knows and loves yet is full of the same mysteries as any new ship. It might look like an updated version of [[The Moldy Crow|The Moldy Crow]], but it comes with its own quirks and secrets, and it gives the heroes a chance to become a part of the new ship's history, making their own mark on the Space Transport's legacy. Weapon and Vehicle Templates See also: Gear Templates Instead of presenting a new, evolved design based on a classic element, Gamemasters can choose to simply take a piece of older technology and introduce it directly into their Legacy Era Campaigns. The following four templates represent two methods of introducing older technology into The Legacy Era. The Antiqued Template represents a Weapon or Vehicle from the recent past that doesn't take advantage of modern technological advancements but still is recent enough to be mostly effective. Refitted Weapons and Vehicles, on the other hand, represent older technology that has been rebuilt, replacing out-of-date technology with Legacy era improvements; for example, a Refitted A-Wing may have had its weapons, engines, and computer systems removed and replaced with similar but highly advanced components common in The Legacy Era. The Archaic Vehicle Template and the Advanced Vehicle Template from Starships of the Galaxy serve similar purposes to those presented below. Unlike the Antiqued and Refitted Templates, however, those templates represent more drastic changes that represent significant departures from the basic design. In a Legacy Era Campaign, you should use the Archaic Vehicle Template on any ships from The Old Republic Era (Well before the Clone Wars), and the Advanced Vehicle Template to create new Legacy era designs based on ships from the past. For Vehicles and Weapons from the Clone Wars, The Dark Times, or the Galactic Civil War, use the Antiquated Templates below. Age of Shadow The Legacy Era is a time of darkness and violence in the galaxy not seen since the rise of Palpatine's Empire. There are several elements of The Legacy Era that Gamemasters should emphasize in their adventures to help reinforce just how grim the situation has become. The Dark Side See also: The Dark Side During The Legacy Era, The Dark Side holds great power throughout the galaxy. It's more than just a function of having The Sith in power; The Jedi have been diminished and everywhere violence, hatred, and selfishness rule supreme. If the influence of The Dark Side waxes and wanes, during The Legacy Era it reaches peaks unseen except during the grimmest times in galactic history. One can emphasize the pervasiveness of The Dark Side in a variety of ways. First, make liberal use of Dark Side Force-users, including Sith Acolytes, spies, Sith Lords, Jedi who have turned to The Dark Side, and the occasional Force-sensitive bounty hunter. Next, introduce sites and locales where the power of The Dark Side is palpable; set adventures at the sites of great battles in which The Sith and The Galactic Empire were victorious over The Galactic Alliance and The Jedi, or places where many Jedi were slain in a single attack by bounty hunters or the Empire. Introduce locations where The Dark Side manifests itself in the form of visions or even physical danger, such as the cave on Dagobah, but have such locations appear in multiple adventures. Give the heroes little chance to visit safe havens, and do not be afraid to repeatedly tell Force-sensitive heroes that they feel constant discomfort at the strength of The Dark Side at various adventuring locales. Sith Overlords See also: The Sith Unlike The Dark Times of Palpatine's Empire, the galaxy is now under the heels of overt and openly declared Sith Lords. The heroes of a Legacy Era Campaign should come across these Sith Lords, or at least evidence of their work, on a regular basis. Gamemasters shouldn't be afraid to use Sith Lords on a regular basis, as their abundance is one of the biggest advantages of setting games in The Legacy Era. This does not mean, however, that the heroes necessarily have to fight The Sith at every turn; there are more subtle ways to use The Sith in adventures. For example, your heroes might come across a recording of a Sith Lord wiping out a cell of Roan Fel loyalists, only to discover in the recording that one of the loyalists managed to escape. Unless the heroes have made overt enemies of the Empire, or of a particular Sith Lord, not every physical encounter has to end in violence, and the heroes might cross paths with a Sith Lord while pursuing similar goals. Introduce The Sith early, and often. Low-level heroes stand no chance of slaying a Sith Lord outright, but that does not mean that their adventures cannot include a Sith Lord. Holograms, video messages, and other communication methods allow you to bring a Sith Lord into a campaign without worrying about the heroes being outmatched in a fight. Use The Sith as allies, if possible; perhaps the heroes are contacted by a Sith Lord who commandeers their vessel for clandestine transport to an Outer Rim location, or the heroes are hired by The Sith to retrieve a captured enemy of the Empire. Using The Sith as allies early on makes the eventual conflict with those Sith Lords later in the campaign all the more exciting. Jedi Bounties The Jedi have been all but wiped out, but some still remain at large. As a result, the Empire has placed a massive bounty on the heads of Jedi. If you have Jedi heroes in your campaign, emphasize the feeling of constantly being pursued. Have bounty hunters appear on the Jedi heroes' trail, showing up frequently to harry them. If the Jedi acts overtly without taking caution to conceal their abilities, feel free to have the agents of the Empire show up shortly thereafter, having been tipped off by witnesses. As Jedi heroes rise in levels and fame, their deeds are likely to attract unwanted attention unless they take precautions to hide their abilities. In every spaceport, the heroes encounter people who shun them for fear of being associated with The Jedi. Unscrupulous business partners try to exploit the heroes' need for secrecy, threatening to go to the Empire if their exorbitant demands are not met. Even the lowliest of scum in the galaxy knows that there is money to be made off of The Jedi, and average citizens fear for their lives when confronted with the prospect of being associated with rogue Jedi. No one wants a Sith Lord with a squad of Knighthunters to show up on their doorstep. Servitude & Slavery With the return of the Empire to power, tyranny has once more become the natural order of things. However, Darth Krayt knows that freedom is also a breeding ground for dissent, and as such he has abolished many of the anti-slavery laws that have been in place since the fall of Palpatine's Empire. Though still not condoned in the Core Worlds, along The Mid Rim and The Outer Rim many of the safeguards put in place to deter slavery have been scaled back, opening the door for slaving outfits to flourish once more. The Empire itself has enslaved many populaces, including the Mon Calamari, forcing them to work for the Empire as punishment for defiance. In a Legacy Era Campaign, including slavers among the enemies that the heroes face helps reinforce the notion that the galaxy is sliding into barbarism, especially when the heroes realize that the Empire not only allows slavery but, in many cases, condones it. More common than actual slavery is the indentured servitude that many "Legitimate" crime lords engage in. Fringe heroes are likely to become entangled in indentured servitude themselves. Perhaps it begins when the heroes take out a loan to buy their own ship. Maybe they need more money to buy weapons and equipment, all of which their particular crime lord or loan shark is more than willing to provide. Once they have built up a sufficient debt, their creditor comes calling, backed up by the kind of violent beings that haunt the dark alleys of Nar Shaddaa and Point Nadir. The creditors demand payment and a cut of the heroes' profits. Meanwhile, these same creditors start charging outrageous prices for Starship fuel, ammunition, and even protection when The Sector Rangers come to them, looking for the heroes. They charge for information, and even for knowledge of what jobs are available. Soon, the heroes might find themselves growing deeper and deeper in debt after every mission, forcing them to do their creditors' bidding or face the consequences of refusing to make good on their debts. Such indentured servitude can be a great motivator for adventures, but be careful no to bog down the campaign with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness (This is a game, after all). By the time the heroes reach mid-levels, they should have a chance to throw off the shackles of their servitude. Just like the eventual showdown between the heroes of the Rebellion and Jabba the Hutt, eventually the heroes will realize that the only way to escape their debts is to deal with the crime lord directly, which can make for an exciting adventure filled with danger that results in the heroes achieving their own freedom and perhaps ridding the galaxy of a vile criminal in the process. The Three-Way War One of the more exciting elements of The Legacy Era is that, unlike The Rebellion Era, the galaxy is embroiled in a conflict between three separate entities, no two of which get along with one another. Though The Fel Empire and The Galactic Alliance both oppose The Galactic Empire, even those two factions cannot get along well enough to work together. When one factors in The Hidden Temple, yet a fourth faction that has not allied itself with any of the three primary factions, The Legacy Era represents a time when the galaxy is fractured by allegiances to those factions. To emphasize this fractured conflict, one can use each of the three major factions in adventures. Each faction might be chasing the same goal but for different reasons, bringing it into conflict with the other factions as well as unaligned heroes. Having encounters that feature multiple factions opposing both the heroes and one another not only creates a dynamic scene but also reinforces the notion that multiple power groups are working toward their own ends. Once the heroes decide to ally with a faction, things get really interesting; if the heroes make themselves known as allies of The Galactic Alliance, they might find themselves targeted not only by Darth Krayt but also Roan Fel's loyalists, forcing the heroes to fight not only the obvious enemy but a faction that, under different circumstances, could have been their allies as well. One of the tragedies of this three-way war is that there are allies to be found in nearly every faction. Though the Sith Lords themselves are thoroughly evil, even in Darth Krayt's Empire there are honorable men and women who could be friends and allies to the heroes. However, the nature of the three-way conflict makes each faction reluctant to trust anyone but members of their own group, and paranoia and fear causes potential allies to become suspicious of one another, many times ending in conflict with one another simply because they do not know who to trust. Challenging Assumptions The Legacy Era challenges basic assumptions about the galaxy and its inhabitants. Everyone knows that the Empire is evil, as evidenced by Darth Krayt's tyranny and violence. Yet there is more to the Empire. Roan Fel's Empire-in-exile is made up of honorable soldiers and bureaucrats who remain loyal to an Emperor who fought for both peace and order, and their version of the Empire has many noble ideals. Yet, within this faction can be found many worthy antagonists. Heroes and Villains One good way to challenge your players' assumptions is to introduce allies and antagonists who shift from one side to the other over time. For example, Cade Skywalker's story begins with him as a young Jedi, but later in life he turns into a bitter, violent bounty hunter, challenging our assumptions about the Skywalker Legacy. Cade captures and turns in a fellow Jedi, Hosk Trey'lis, setting himself up as an enemy of The Jedi and something of a villain. However, Cade's guilt eventually sets to him, and he allows himself to be captured in order to free Hosk from The Sith. Cade oscillates between hero and villain often enough that it is difficult to have any assumptions about the character at all. Similarly, your heroes might come across enemies and allies who fit neatly into archetypes until they break out of them. Consider the ally-turned-enemy, such as the fatherly Galactic Alliance general who turns out to be a revenge-driven madman willing to sacrifice anyone and anything in pursuit of his vengeance. Similarly, consider the enemy-turned ally, such as the Sith Acolyte who must maintain a convincing façade of loyalty to her masters as a means of getting close enough to assassinate Darth Krayt. When the heroes first encounter the acolyte, they might fight against her before learning her true motivations. Additionally, some characters might move from villain to hero and back multiple times throughout a campaign. A bounty hunter torn between her need to survive and her loyalty to her husband- a Jedi in hiding- might capture Jedi heroes in the hopes of throwing suspicion off herself and her husband. An officer in The Fel Empire might defect to join The Galactic Alliance, only to reveal himself as a double-agent who hopes to unite the two factions. The Legacy Era presents a blurry line between good and evil. Gamemasters can capitalize on this element of the time period by introducing allies and antagonists whose roles in the story- as heroes or villains- change every time the heroes think they have figured them out. Secret Identities Another common thread among the major players in The Legacy Era is that of the secret identity. Moff Nyna Calixte secretly maintains an alter-ego of Morrigan Corde, an Imperial agent with far more freedom to act than the Moff herself. Similarly, the Imperial Knight Azlyn Rae maintains an alter-ego as a bounty hunter (Her profession in the time between her Jedi training and her recruitment into The Imperial Knights). A good way to challenge the heroes' assumptions about a character is to reveal secret identities. When the heroes discover that the violent crime lord they have been serving is secretly also a high-ranking officer in Galactic Alliance Intelligence, their plans to topple the crime lord might change with that revelation. Secret identities work best when they accomplish two goals: providing drastic contrast to the character's public face, and allowing the character to function in a vastly different role than their main persona. The first goal is simply a matter of taking the basic assumptions that the heroes have about that character and finding an alter-ego that is strongly opposed to that role; as Morrigan Carde, Nyna Calixte watches out for her son Cade and tries to help him escape the Empire, but she herself must prove her unwavering loyalty and cruelty as an Imperial Moff. The second goal is accomplished by taking a different approach to how the character achieves their goals. As an Imperial Moff, Nyna Calixte uses politics, subtlety, and manipulation to achieve her ends, but as Morrigan Corde she uses big blasters, explosives, jet packs, and violence to accomplish her goals. When creating a secret identity, it is best to create the primary identity for the NPC first, then look at the character's philosophies and goals and give the alter-ego seemingly conflicting goals. Next, do the same with their methodology. Over time, these characters might have to sacrifice their primary identities or their alter-egos to save themselves, which can be an interesting story element for the heroes to deal with. When the time comes for that choice to be made, the heroes might have to convince the character to side with them, casting the other identity aside and fully assuming the role of their ally. Conversely, if things go badly, the character might discard his or her allegiance to the heroes and instead become a full-time adversary. When this moment comes, be sure that the heroes have a chance to influence this outcome, as they will likely gain an ally or enemy for the remainder of the campaign.